Monday, February 9, 1998
Bilingual education crucial for students
EDITORIAL Voter ballot measure would leave many non-native
English speakers out in the cold
For the 1.3 million non-native English speaking students in
California, bilingual education programs are the lifeblood of their
educational experience. However, a looming voter initiative aims to
wipe out the existing bilingual education programs in the state and
completely revamp this system. If passed, the initiative would be
detrimental to the academic and social development of the many
limited-English proficient (LEP) students who rely on dual language
instruction.
Ron Unz, sponsor of the ballot measure and chairman of the
English for the Children organization, claims California’s
bilingual education system is a failure. His remedy: a one-year
English "sheltered immersion" program, in which teachers instruct
students in English while utilizing props and pictures to help
students understand the lessons.
Under the Unz program, all California public school students
would be taught primarily in English and only be placed in the
sheltered-immersion classes at their parents’ request.
Currently, bilingual education provides a bridge for LEP
students to cross over from their native language to full English
fluency. In class, teachers shift between English and another
language, usually Spanish (85 percent of LEP students are Latino
immigrants) to help students understand the lessons.
Unz is eager to test the "sheltered immersion" program; he
claims 95 percent of students now enrolled in bilingual education
classrooms do not receive proper instruction. Thus, they fail to
learn English adequately because bilingual programs don’t put
enough emphasis on the students’ transition to English.
The existing bilingual education programs are indeed working.
Students are successfully making the transition from their native
language and learning to read, write and speak in English. Of
course, there are flaws in the system like the lack of qualified
teachers, but this is certainly no reason to completely abandon the
1.3 million LEP students who rely on special instruction. Rather,
it is an indication that California needs to strengthen, not
destroy its commitment to quality education.
It takes five years for non-native students to grasp English,
according to the Department of Education’s Office of Bilingual
Education and Minority Languages Affairs; each one of those years
is critical. If LEP students were placed in an English-only
environment where they cannot understand the language spoken, they
would fall behind in school.
They would experience unnecessary difficulty in school – not
just in language. Math, science, history and other fields would be
compromised if children do not know English. Their grades would
drop, and if they are unable to communicate with other students,
their social skills could suffer as well. English immersion classes
such as the Unz program force LEP students to sink or swim in an
English-only environment – it’s a risk California’s educational
system cannot afford to take.
Bilingual education programs may not be perfect. They could use
more qualified teachers and support, but the Unz initiative is not
a solution. California must not turn its back on the 1.3 million
LEP students by taking away the crucial springboard they need to
learn English. California needs to focus on augmenting the existing
program with additional teachers, training programs and incentives
for teachers out there to adequately educate LEP students.